Posted by tuba dad on April 14, 2001 at 06:47:41:
In Reply to: Tuba Colleges posted by Need to KNow on April 13, 2001 at 22:48:15:
Having just gone through the "tuba college" admissions adventure with my son, all I can tell you is that you need to get started on meeting tuba instructors, visiting colleges, having lessons, listening to school ensembles, etc., far in advance of your senior year of high school if you hope to make a well-informed decision about college.
Anyone can rattle of the "usual suspects," the top 10 to 15 programs with well known instructors. But we found that the variance in what a student experiences at these different schools (student access to the teacher, musical philosophy of teacher, breadth and quality of school ensembles) is much greater than one might expect.
Some of what we learned in the last 2+ years of investigation: There are highly touted programs in which the "tuba prof" is physically on campus only one day a week or 2 days every 2 weeks - as the parent of a young man in need of a "full time" mentor, that is not a very appealing arrangement. There are highly touted programs in which the studio is so large that if a lesson is missed (usually because the prof is at an out-of-town gig) the lesson is never really made up (i.e., if you miss your weekly "50 minute hour" lesson, you go 2 weeks between "audiences" with the prof).
Other factors: Conservatory vs. College/University setting, tuba prof with or without a symphony gig, school located in metro vs. rural area (affecting your access to gigs and quality listening opportunities), etc., that have to be considered.
Good luck.